Blessed Be
by Queen Of Gabb 488
Summary: Decades after the final battle, Piper's daughter Melinda returns to claim the Manor and her memories of the past expose the events of past family drama. Warning:Cryptic to the max.
1. Welcome Home

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed or any of it's character's such as Prue,Piper,Phoebe and Paige.

**Author's Note:** The chapters are somewhat cryptic because this story is going to be very dramatic. The way I'm writing the story, Melinda's emotions and the presence of family members will set off memories of events that occurred during her generation, after the final battle occurred. Anything that is italicized is a memory of the past.

**Blessed Be**

**Chapter One**

The manor was silent. There were no echoes of voices; no patter of feet. The only sound that could be heard was the rain falling from the heavens and the lightening that danced from the skies to the earth. The furniture was covered by slipcovers and dust.

And so it had been since the Halliwell family matriarch, Piper Halliwell, had passed away to join her loved ones. She had led a full life, having found love and happiness with her husband of some fifty- odd years. There love had triumphed over the constant hardships life had thrown at them, and had created three beautiful children.

Wyatt Matthew Halliwell was the first boy born into the female dominated family in three hundred years. As such, he had grown to be a man of great intellect, talent and had great respect for women. He had strived to be as brave as his mother and aunts, and had inherited his father's open and kind nature. Following in his father's footsteps, Wyatt had decided to become a doctor and had risen to the top of his field as a neurosurgeon. He was a good brother and friend to many, and instilled great pride in his parents.

Christopher Perry Halliwell had grown up not in his brother's shadows, but right next to him. There had never been a day in his life that his parents or aunts made him feel second best or like the typical middle child. Christopher Perry was _far_ from typical. While Wyatt was extremely intelligent and good natured, Chris was super observant of his natural surroundings and was incredibly street wise. Yet life hadn't been the easiest for the second born Halliwell, and it seemed as if his whole life he had been burdened by the responsibility of taking care of those he loved.

Chris and Wyatt were best friends as well as brothers. In their family siblings had a strong need for friendship and close ties to bind them to one another. While Wyatt had been the typical golden child growing up, Chris had taken every opportunity he could to rebel against the unfair responsibilities he sometimes had to bare. He never resented anyone for these burdens, but had learned that if you were to be happy you had to live life of your own accord. It was this philosophy that kept him sane and happy, along with the love of his family, especially his little sister Melinda.

Melinda Anne Halliwell was Piper's and Leo's only daughter. She was just three years younger than Chris and one of the most natural beauties California had ever seen. She was a carbon copy of her mother, but her eyes were the same blue-gray as her father's. She was slender and petite, but she was strong willed and stubborn. Mel was also a natural born caretaker, and was the nurturing one of the Halliwell clan.

All three had left years ago, and had pursued their own dreams in hopes of finding happiness. It hadn't been easy. The Halliwells' had had their share of familial dysfunction and heartache. But as the key turned in the double stained glass doors of the family manor, the house seemed to startle out of its sleep, as Melinda crossed the thresh hold with her duffle bag and closed her umbrella. She stood in the darkness, and whispered "Welcome home."

* * *

Mel hurried up to stairs to the ancestral home of the Halliwell clan, rushing to get out of the rain. It didn't matter that she was forty-nine years old and had left more than two decades ago to start her own happily ever after; this would always be home. Besides, happily ever after didn't last as long as she had planned. 

Her three daughters were staying the night with their father, and her soon-to-be ex-husband. They had been married for almost twenty years but you didn't need to have a microscope to see the cracks in the foundation of their relationship. Both Mel and Gray were passionate, intelligent people and it had been passion that had attracted the two to each other. But passion faded and the fights had begun and the two had gotten to the point of no return.

Mel had made the decision to return to her childhood home, along with their kids, and had given up alimony or the settlement that Gray had wanted to give her. All she asked of him was the child support for the girls, and she had agreed to the joint custody arrangement he had wanted. Just because she was divorcing Gray didn't mean she wanted to divorce their children from him. Besides, he only lived twenty minutes away, and was closer to the girls' schools. He would pick them up every day and have them for three hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while he had two hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

As much as they fought, Mel still loved her ex, but she knew when it was time to "cash out" of the relationship. She had gambled, made some great bets, but in the end she was losing chips quick and needed to leave with what remained of her pride and dignity. It was time to begin anew. And so, as she entered the double doors of her childhood home, she welcomed herself home.

* * *

The house seemed to awaken as life once again beat within its' walls. As if the universe had mandated the return of its kin, the rain and lightening stopped and light began to enter from the windows. It was like the house was reliving memories of the past, as dust particles rose through the air, the house shaking off the last remnants of loneliness. 

Melinda put her jacket and purse up near the front door and made her way further into the foyer. A familiar tug at her heart made her instinctively turn towards the stair way as a memory played in her head.

_Prue was walking down the stairs with a duffle thrown over her shoulder. It was midnight, and the inhabitants of the house were either at P3 or the restaurant appropriately title the Manor House. Melinda stood, leaning against the dining room table. Her long hair was back in a disheveled ponytail and her side bangs were in her face. "Are you sure you want to do this, I mean leaving in the middle of the night without saying goodbye?"_

_"I need to do this Mel. I just need to get away from the responsibility and the magic."_

_"I'm not saying don't leave, it's just…we're eighteen years old. What, you're not gonna say goodbye to Patty and Penny, or the rest of the cousins? Aunt Phoebe is going to go crazy looking for you. Do you really want to do this to everyone?"_

_"Of course I don't want to leave like this, but if I don't do it this way then I never will. I can't stay here and be this person anymore," Prue said and brushed a strand of black hair behind her hair. It was a perfectly cut bob, with side bangs. She stood cool and composed, wearing a yellow lace tank top with a v-neck over a red camisole with a dark washed pair of jeans and brown pointed toe leather boots. It was a perfect image of a held together young woman. But Mel, could look into those eyes and tell that behind her strong exterior, Prue was far from perfect. So was her life. Just then, their aunt Paige walked through the front door._

_"You ready girlie? We need to take off now if we're gonna make this work."_

_"I'm ready Aunt Paige." Prue walked to Mel and hugged her tight. "I'll find a way to keep in touch."_

_"You better," Mel said as tears gushed from her eyes. She used the back of her hands to wipe away the tears._

_"Remember," Paige said, "I had no part in this. Mel didn't know you were taking off and Prue left without either of us helping her."_

_"Of course," Mel said._

_Prue lifted the duffle bag further onto her shoulder and followed Paige to the door. She was about to cross the threshold when Mel called out. "Prue, what did you see that's making you leave?"_

_"I saw what life would be like if I didn't take the chance to be my own person," she said referring to her experience earlier in the week. An experience only Paige and Melinda knew about. "I can't be that person again…anymore."_

With that, Prue and Paige had left for the airport and the memory faded. Melinda could no longer hear the sound of her cousin's footsteps or the door shutting. Neither were eighteen year old girls anymore and Mel left the memories of the past to settle back into her home of years ago.


	2. Power of three

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed or any of it's character's such as Prue,Piper,Phoebe and Paige.

**Author's Note:** The chapters are somewhat cryptic because this story is going to be very dramatic. The way I'm writing the story, Melinda's emotions and the presence of family members will set off memories of events that occurred during her generation, after the final battle occurred. Anything that is italicized is a memory of the past.

**Blessed Be**

**Chapter Two**

Melinda stood in the wash room that was right of the kitchen and led to the backyard. It seemed as though the house, which had welcomed its lost daughter back with open arms was once against upset at the absence of the family. The rain had started pouring again only an hour after Mel's arrival and though she swore there was nothing wrong with the circuit breaker, the chandelier refused to work. All Melinda wanted was to be with her girls, and if she was honest with herself, apart of her longed for the days when she would crawl into bed with Gray. God, how everything had gone wrong.

Almost being fifty years old, you would think Mel would have her life together. That was the farthest from the truth as possible. When she had stood in front of her family and friends and vowed to love and cherish her husband forever and a day, Melinda had believed that they would be together forever. They had been twenty-eight when they had married, and two years later Pilar had come along. Pilar had changed everything Mel had thought she knew about love. She thought love was romantic and gentle. Pilar showed her that love was often fierce and sometimes hurtful. It was like Dianne Keaton's character in that old movie Because I Said So. A mother's love was never done; over. It was an impossible kind of love. For Melinda it had been the most rewarding; lasting.

Just as she was heating up the tea and looking for whatever food Chris had stocked for her before her arrival, the phone rang. Turning to the counter where she had left the phone, she picked up and positioned the phone between her ear and shoulder as she went digging through the refrigerator for ingredients for God knew what.

"What's up?"

"Mom," it was Pilar. "Can I come stay with you tonight?"

Melinda's head turned to the side as she heard the stubborn, opinionated voice of her frustrated nineteen year old daughter. "Why, what happened to staying with your dad until the weekend?"

"I'm going to be a sophomore in college in two days and he thinks he can tell me what I should do for every waking moment of my life. He went on and on about how anthropology wasn't an ACCEPTABLE major because really," Pilar said in a snobbish tone, "what kind of job will a Bachelors of Science degree in a double major of anthro and history with a minor in linguistics get you right out of college? He went on to say how since I'm so interested in the sciences that I should go pre-med and take bio and physics and chem and go to Harvard for grad school."

"Where are you now?" Mel knew that this was the kind of fight that would have her daughter seeing red and end up with her walking out on Gray...just like Mel had done herself, she thought with a feeling of regret and shame. She slammed the fridge door, with the phone still between her ear and shoulder and her arms filled with ingredients for something that Melinda didn't know what it would turn out to be. "Sure, honey. You can come over. Just, do yourself a favor and don't expect much from the house. I haven't had any time to fix up the bedrooms. How soon can you be here?"

All of a sudden Mel heard the doorbell. "How 'bout now," her daughter said.

Mel made her way to the door and opened it to see not one, but all three of her daughters. She hung up the phone and embraced her children, before yelling at her older daughter. "Does your father now that you brought Priya and Phaedra?"

"Oh, _he_ knows," she said in a cold and bitter manner. As the four made their way further into the foyer, the girls stood directly underneath the chandelier when all of a sudden it began to glow, and their discussion was interrupted. "What the--" Pilar started to say as she looked towards the ceiling.

_"What the hell is going on," Prue demanded to know when the chandelier started to shake and glow as she, Patty and Penny stood underneath._

_ The sisters had only been recently reunited again a week ago, when Prue had returned home after seven years away. Over the years, the sisters who had once longed for their sister and protector had begun to resent her. While Patty was more welcoming of Prue on her arrival, Penny was hurt and angered. How dare she abandon them. Didn't she know they had needed her?_

_Prue had tried to stay in touch. She had written hundreds of letters to her sisters and parents, trying to explain why she had needed to leave as she had. Her mother and father had been glad to have contact with their daughter, who as they found out when they tried to find her, had bound her powers thus taking herself off the magical radar. They had been relieved to know that she was safe and that they would hear from her at least once a week. Secretly, Phoebe felt guilty and feared that she had pushed Prue to such dire actions, and furthermore harming the bond she shared with her sisters. After all, Phoebe was an empath, an advice columnist and more importantly a mom. She had felt Prue's feelings of being smothered, burdened and taken advantage of. She knew that her daughter's dreams were slowly being snuffed as a direct result of Phoebe's insistence that Prue stay home and go to community college in order to stay close to her sisters. What had Phoebe done? _

_She thought of her older sister Prue, for whom her daughter was a namesake. Prue had given up so much during her life, only to try and gain it back before her death. Yes, there were important factors that had led to that situation. There mother had passed away when Phoebe was barely three and their Grams had needed to ensure that the power of three would be in tact. But it wasn't Grams who had paid the price. It was Prue. Phoebe was only glad that her eldest daughter was home, with a happy life and once again with her sisters with their very own power of three._

All of a sudden, the chandelier stopped glowing and the girls looked at their mother bewildered.

"You girls just officially formed your own power of three."_  
_


	3. Goodbye

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed or any of it's character's such as Prue,Piper,Phoebe and Paige.

**Author's Note:** The chapters are somewhat cryptic because this story is going to be very dramatic. The way I'm writing the story, Melinda's emotions and the presence of family members will set off memories of events that occurred during her generation, after the final battle occurred. Anything that is _italicized_ is a memory of the past and anything that is both **_italicized and bold_** is a recollection someone had that's a part of the memory.

**Blessed Be**

**Chapter Three **

Melinda sat at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of tea between her hands. She tried to process what had just happened an hour before, when her girls had officially become charmed. Really, it was a rite of passage within the family and it did offer some peace of mind. It meant a power boost for her girls as well as keeping them safe from what little demons were left.

After the final battle between the Halliwells and the Jenkins, her mom and the aunts had taken the opportunity that the chaos of the underworld provided them after the death of the triad. They had maintained a constant vigil, taking out any threat or demon that held the ability of leading the underworld into a new age of terror. Since then, demons spent their days in hiding, hoping to stay alive long enough to escape the sisters' hunting. It had provided the Halliwell children a chance at a normal childhood without demons, as well as witches all over the world.The whitelighters of the family took the newly found time to guide their charges and teach them the craft.

As she contemplated her family history, her girls sat in the sun room watching the flat screen tv and discussing their newly charmed status. It was then that the phone rang. Putting down her mug, Mel checked the caller Id and picked up. "Hi, Gray. What's going on?"

He paused before speaking. "I just wanted to call and make sure the girls got there alright," he said with a quiet voice. "They gave me a piece of their minds and I'm still cleaning up the broken glass."

"That will happen," he heard his wife's voice say. Too soon it would belong to his ex-wife, and the pain of that thought left him feeling empty and alone. "You should know by now not to get Pilar angry. She always blows up what ever valuables are in the room."

"Yeah, well it's my fault really. I went on about her becoming a doctor or a teacher instead of pursuing anthropology. When did I become our parents? I always said I would never do this to the girls. Try and dictate their lives."

"Don't worry about it. None of our girls are the type to be told what they should do with their lives.We raised them better than that."

"Is that what I did to you, Mel? Did I try to control you," Gray asked solemnly.

"Yeah, no. It wasn't just my life. It was ours. I should have listened to what you said rather than just dismiss it. I was wrong to fight with you."

"Were you? You say it was our life, but looking back I can see how I made it all about me. I pushed you away with all the arguing, just like I pushed the girls away tonight."

"We're Halliwells. We aren't easily pushed into anything. I made my own choice to leave,Gray," Mel said after a pause. "I don't think I understood until now how selfish it was of me to give up on our family when things weren't going my way. I'm sorry."

"So am I, Mel."

_"I'm sorry,Mel. I didn't mean to control your life," Chris said. _

_"Didn't you, though?I know you mean well,Chris. Really, I do. But you can't keep trying to protect me from the world. I'm more than grown. I know you work with him, but it's my choice whether or not I see Gray." Mel turned and left the manor. She made her way to her car and drove to Gray's apartment. When he opened the door she dove into his arms and held on for dear life._

_"What's wrong?" _

_What wasn't? Her overprotective big brother had tried to break Mel and Gray up all because the two worked together. Chris had started his own company years ago as an architect and carpenter. Not only did he design his clients home but he personally saw to the building with a twin contracting company he owned. It was a very prestigious company and Gray was one of his architects._

_Mel thought back to what her brother had said earlier. **"He'll break your heart. Just like he does every girl he dates. He's a player, Mel. "**_

_**"He might very well be, but it's my heart. And I'll see whoever I want."**_

_She was crying now. She knew that sooner or later he would break her heart just like her brother predicted, but she couldn't turn away. She loved him. Mel kissed him, and they backed up into the apartment slamming the door. "I need to be with you."_

_He brushed back a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "I need you too."_

"I'll have the girls go back tomorrow afternoon," she said as she came out of the memory.

"Alright," Gray agreed knowing that he shouldn't push matters of their upcoming divorce anymore. The moment they had shared was gone; probably their last. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," she whispered too late. Gray was gone.


	4. Too late

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed or any of it's character's such as Prue,Piper,Phoebe and Paige.

**Author's Note:** The chapters are somewhat cryptic because this story is going to be very dramatic. The way I'm writing the story, Melinda's emotions and the presence of family members will set off memories of events that occurred during her generation, after the final battle occurred. Anything that is _italicized_ is a memory of the past and anything that is both **_italicized and bold_** is a recollection someone had that's a part of the memory. **Bold **is either a premonition or a vision of the past.

**Blessed Be**

**Chapter Four**

"Goodbye," she whispered too late. Gray was gone.

Gray was gone and Melinda was left alone in the manor. Yes, her daughters were in the other room, cuddled up together and watching a romantic comedy in celebration of their newly charmed status. But for the first time in twenty years her daughters' presence were of no comfort as Mel felt the rip in her heart as she admitted to herself that there was no going back. For the past six months that she had been separated from her husband, Melinda had held out hope that she would find the courage to admit that she had left out of fear of losing what independence she had and when she finally admitted that she was being selfish and unfair Melinda had not been able to run into Gray's arm but had finalized the end of their relationship.

_"Goodbye," Prue barely was able to whisper as Brody turned his back to her and walked out of the manor. A tear ran down her cheek but she couldn't wipe it away. Why?Why was this happening to them? They were supposed to go away to college together. They were supposed to grow old together. How could he just break up with her because she had decided to stay home and go to school? So what, their plans changed slightly. Why couldn't they make it work, why wouldn't Brody just give her a chance. Prue could almost hate him for deciding that it wasn't worth it to try and make their relationship work. Almost, but couldn't. After all, it was her that was changing the plan._

_No, she thought to herself. It wasn't Prue who had made the decision to stay home. It had been her mother, Phoebe. "You're Charmed," she had said. "You have two little sisters," she said. "You can't go away to school when they need you here to protect them." So Prue had been told that going to the State University of San Bernardino was out of the question. _

_Sure, it was in the same state but it was about as far away as she could get and still receive instate tuition. Instead, her mother had insisted that she attend the San Francisco State University. Of course, her mother had just assumed that this was fine with Prue. Why wouldn't she just go along with all the plans her mother had for her. She was just expected to become a doctor. What she really wanted was to major in the fine arts and art history. Sure, she had been the top student in her school and had been the valedictorian. Yes, she had been the cheer leading captain as well as the volleyball captain and a member of the tri-m honor society as well as student body president. Just about every school she had applied to had given her a full ride, except for CSUSB. CSUSB had given her an extensive amount of scholarships so Prue would only have to pay for living on campus and her books. That was only a total of two thousand dollars a semester and she could have taken out loans._

_"It just wasn't meant to be," she said as she started to walk up the stairs to the attic. As she placed her hand on the guard rail, she was hit with a vision. _

**"**** You did what last year," Prue heard the tall man ask in rage. He was tall with brown hair and was surprisingly familiar. And handsome. **

** "Look, I just wanted to see how you would react to finding out I was a witch," a short brunette she recognized as her aunt Prue said.**

** "So you cast a truth spell on me. Why didn't you just ask?"**

**"Oh, because I was afraid you'd freak out on me. Which is exactly what you did by the way, you just don't remember. Part of the spell."**

**"Wait a minute. My reaction to your being a witch isn't the reason we stopped seeing each other, is it?"**

_Prue came out of the vision just as her aunt Paige popped in. _

_"Hey, hon. What's going on, you heading up to the book," Paige asked noting the tear stained face and the tense shoulders, as well as having caught a glimpse of her nieces face which screamed Premonition. She could also tell that Prue was having a rough day._

_"Aunt Paige, what do you know about Aunt Prue?"_

_"Not much, kiddo. I never had the chance to meet her, but from what your mom and aunt Piper say your aunt Prue was the strongest. She gave up a lot to stay home and raise them after our mom died. It took me a long time to realize that I didn't need to prove myself to my sisters. For the longest time I thought I had to be just like her to live up to their memories."_

_"Was she happy? You said she gave up a lot to stay home with mom and aunt Piper, but was she happy?"_

_"I don't know, sweetie. From what I heard your aunt was forced to stay home to go to school. In the process, she ended up breaking up with her high school sweetheart. I've been told that Prue was a real artist. She loved to take photographs and even worked for 415 magazine. It took her awhile though. Grams had a tight hold over her and she actually graduated with her degree in the fine arts and history. She worked at a museum for a while before working at an auction house."_

_"She never got married though. Was it because of the guy you mentioned, the high school sweetheart?"_

_"I don't know. He reappeared right when your mom and aunts got their powers. Things apparently started up between them, but it was bumpy and he died about a year later. I wish I could tell you more but we've never been able to summon your aunt. You might be better asking your mom."_

_"I don't know," Prue said letting her voice drop. She wasn't ready to talk to her mother about the whole college situation and wasn't sure that bringing up something like her aunt Prue would be good. As it was they were fighting constantly and a big part of Prue blamed her mom for the break up with Brody. _

_Just then the door opened and Melinda came in. She was reading a letter and looked up at Prue. _

_All of a sudden Prue wasn't there anymore,at least not consciously. She felt as if she was someone else. Someone else who was in the middle of an intense argument with a strict woman who appeared to be her guardian. **"I just don't understand why I can't go away to school like everybody else, Grams."** The voice sounded so familiar. She tried to control her body but found she couldn't. Prue wouldn't be able to leave until she was let go by whatever had her. _

**_"It's simple, Prudence. I need you at home to look after your sisters. Besides, you need to be considerate of the fact that I have three of you to put through college. You can't go."_**

_Prue returned to the present and gasped as she felt her soul return to her body. "What the hell was that?"_

* * *

_Their feet clacked against the wood of the stairs as Mel, Prue and Paige made their way upstairs. They all wanted to know what was up with Prue. She had informed them of her vision and her strange participation in the out of body experience. When they got to the book, Melinda saw that it began flipping on its own._

_"What do you think it means, that seeing me triggered this...thing," Mel asked her aunt._

_"I'm not sure, but I've got a weird feeling that it has something to do with Grams," Paige said.  
_

_"Wait, you mean like great-Grams. The one we never got to meet?"_

_"That'd be the one."_

_"Why can't we summon her anymore?I summon grandma Patty all the time."_

_"I have a feeling we're about to find out," Prue said. "The book landed on the past life spell." Her aunt and cousin moved to stand behind her at the podium.  
_

_"Uh-oh, deja vu! This family has a bad habit of getting kicked in the ass by their past lives," Paige said._

_"What do you mean, this has happened before," Mel asked.  
_

_"It happened to your aunt Phoebe a little more than a year after they got their powers and my past life almost got all three of us killed."_

_"This happened to my mom?" Prue looked astounded. "Never mind about that. Do you think I should do the spell ?"_

_"It might be the only way to find out what's going on."_

_"Alright. _Remove the chains of time and space and make my spirit sore. Let these mortal arms embrace the life that haunts before."

_Just then, Prue went unconscious and her body began to fall to the floor. Paige caught her and orbed her to the couch that was only five feet away. _

_"What do we do now," Mel asked Paige._

_"We wait."_

"Wait," Pilar called out. Phaedra was running full force into the kitchen just as Mel was leaving. They barely avoided crashing into one another and Phae went crashing into the wall.

"Ouch." Phaedra hauled herself up and brushed off the sand that had splattered all over her when she broke a beach themed candle setting. "Sorry, mom."

"It's OK honey. Just be more careful from now on," Mel said as she swept up the pieces of the broken candle. She dumped the pieces in the garbage and looked over at her daughters. "You guys should probably go to bed. I told your dad I'd have you guys back at his place at a decent time and it is now," she said glancing at her wrist watch, "ten after two."

"Do we have too," Phae asked.

"Yes, now scoot. If you don't wake up early I can't take you guys to a celebratory breakfast before you guys have to be back at your dad's."

"OK, mom."

Her daughters left and she felt the ripping sensation pulling at her heart again, but Melinda knew it was too late.


	5. All we'll ever need

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed or any of it's character's such as Prue,Piper,Phoebe and Paige.

**Author's Note:** The chapters are somewhat cryptic because this story is going to be very dramatic. The way I'm writing the story, Melinda's emotions and the presence of family members will set off memories of events that occurred during her generation, after the final battle occurred. Anything that is _italicized_ is a memory of the past and anything that is both **_italicized and bold_** is a recollection someone had that's a part of the memory. **Bold **is either a premonition or a vision of the past.

This chapter is a little different than the others. It will still have the flashbacks, but rather than being memories that Melinda is having, they are set off by everyone's actions, and are more like memories that the house is reliving. Something I liked about the special features on the eighth season dvd collection was the section called To the manor born. I think they had a point in the fact that I feel like the Manor is definitely its own entity and I like to think that houses hold memories. Plus, the flashbacks aren't always because the people in the present have a direct connection with those in the memory, but because the feelings experienced in the memories are similar to what the present characters are feeling. I will warn you though; some of the flashbacks occur outside the manor but I used them because of the feelings that they evoke, at least for myself.I'm still not sure how much I like this chapter. I might have to change it later. Let me know what you think.

**Blessed Be**

**Chapter Five**

Pilar closed the door to what would be her bedroom whenever she came home for school breaks and random weekends. She sat down at the antique vanity and ran her hands over the silver antique brush that had once been her Gram's. This had been the room that Pilar had shared with her sisters whenever she had stayed the night. Still, it would be weird to think of this place as home.

As a little girl she had longed to live here. She had adored the manor and the chance to explore her magic within the walls of the house. It was like a little girl's dream come true, with tales of princes, and bad guys who got beaten up by girls no less. It always seemed as if anything could happen here and it most probably had with all the magical beings that came in and out all the time. Now that it was her home it was so surreal. Pilar hadn't grown up in this house and as angry as she was with him, her dad wasn't here. He was in the house that she had been raised in. Pilar would never have both of her parents with her as a couple again. They were no longer the family she had felt lucky to be apart of. And while she had hated her father for the fights he always seemed to start, she hated her mother for giving up. As Pilar looked in the mirror of the vanity, she vowed that she would never hurt her children as much as her parents had hurt her.

_"I want to be normal, I want my life to be...you know, isn't this aisle three?" Prue looked around with one hand on her head in frustration. She ignored Phoebe and her little speech about destiny. "Do you see any aspirin?" _

_"I see chamomile tea," Phoebe said in an annoying tone of voice. _

_"Look, I've just found out that I'm a witch, that my sisters are witches, and that we have powers that will apparently unleash all forms of evil. Evil that is apparently going to come looking for us. So excuse me, Phoebe, but I am not in the homeopathic mood right now."_

_"So move your headache out of your mind," Phoebe says as her sister stares at her in frustration and anger. All of a sudden she sees a bottle of aspirin fly past her into her sister's arms."You move things when you're mad."_

_"That's ridiculous! I thought that you landed on your arm, not your head."_

_"You don't believe me."_

_" Of course I don't believe you," Prue said._

_"Roger," Phoebe says and sees half a dozen bottles fly off the shelf. "Now let's talk about dad and see what happens."_

_"He's dead, Phoebe."_

_"No, he's moved from New York, but he's very much alive."_

_" He's not to me, he died the day he left mom."_

* * *

_"I am not mistaken. It's a stone the Egyptians believed would protect them from spells,curses,evil spirits. This wouldn't happen to be a wedding band by any chance would it?"_

_"You tell me."_

_"The stones are set in two's. The symbol of duality. Man,woman.Like in protection."_

_"And what does that tell you," the weirdly familiar man asked Prue._

_"Where did you get this ring? What did you say your name was?"_

_"I think you know what my name is...Prudence."_

_"Get out and stay away from us."_

* * *

_"Every time someone compares you to mom you flinch. It's a compliment, not a curse," Phoebe said._

_"Is it? Because every single day, I feel like I'm becoming more and more like her and everyday it terrifies me."_

_"Prue," Piper started to speak but was cut off._

_"I mean, don't you guys see it? Look at what happened to her and than look at what's happening to me. No successful relationship with guys, being responsible for a family and now because of this being Charmed thing, the very real possibility of dying young. It's like history is repeating itself."_

* * *

_ "That's right, Phoebe. It's my responsibility, isn't it?The older sister, always supposed to be able to figure things out.Well, if that's the case than how come I couldn't save Andy?If I'm supposed to be so powerful, how come I couldn't save him? I mean, my God, don't you understand? Andy died because of me,it doesn't matter what he said, it was my fault. How could it be good to be witches if all it does is get the people we love killed?"_

* * *

Pilar turned away from the mirror as she felt warm tears sliding down her cheeks. She loved her parents, and she could almost understand where both of them were coming from. But how could they do this to her? How could the just change everything Pilar and her sisters knew in an instant, for their own selfish reasons? Didn't they realize they were hurting the girls too? She used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears, and looked in the mirror to see that her faced was red and blotchy. "God, I look like a banshee," she said softly. Just then there was a knock at her door. "Come in," she said and turned to the door. It opened to reveal Priya and Phaedra. 

"Can we sleep in here," Priya asked.

"Sure, get in here."

The two younger girls jumped in Pilar's bed, which was a king size bed and she tucked them in with Phaedra in the middle and Priya all the way to the right. Pilar turned off the light and climbed into bed. They three laid there with their arms holding on to the sister to their right.

"I wish dad was her,"Phaedra said sadly.

"So do I," Priya answered.

Pilar laid there for a minute. "It'll be okay, guys. We have each other. That's all we'll ever need."


	6. What do you want?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed or any of it's character's such as Prue,Piper,Phoebe and Paige.

**Author's Note:** The chapters are somewhat cryptic because this story is going to be very dramatic. The way I'm writing the story, Melinda's emotions and the presence of family members will set off memories of events that occurred during her generation, after the final battle occurred. Anything that is _italicized_ is a memory of the past and anything that is both **_italicized and bold_** is a recollection someone had that's a part of the memory. **Bold **is either a premonition or a vision of the past.

**Blessed Be**

**Chapter Six**

_"Then choose me now," she begged."Then let's go home," Piper pleaded and reached out her hand to her husband's. _

_"Don't you think I want to," Leo asked her. _

_"I don't know, and that's what scares me the most."_

* * *

_"Hey, there you are. I've been looking all over school for you. I even talked to the cheer leaders and believe you me that is less favorable than being drawn and quartered.What are you doing here," Brody asked Prue. She was sitting on a swing on the playground of the elementary school that was right next to the high school. Both schools had already let out for the day and usually by now Prue would be practicing at the gym for the pep rally that was going on in a week. It was a last hurrah for the seniors who would be graduating in a week and a half. But Brody had noticed Prue acting weird all day and though he never thought she could hide anything from him, he was now concerned and upset for his girlfriend. It had to be something really big if Prue was afraid to tell him._

_Prue cocked her head to look up at Brody and tears began to form in her eyes. She didn't know how she was supposed to explain any of her situation to him, especially since she had never shared her secret with him. From the time they had their first place to this very moment in time, her mother had warned Prue not to let Brody find out she was a witch. Prue had agreed, because she hadn't wanted to endanger his life. But now it was endangering hers. They had been planning to go away to college with each other since they had started dating in the tenth grade. Now, because of this being Charmed thing, that wasn't going to happen._

_"I, um, I need to tell you something. You're not going to be happy with me either," she said with a shaky voice."I'm not going to San Bernardino with you. I'm staying here and going to SFSU."_

_"What are you talking about?You've wanted to get out of San Francisco for as long as we've been talking about college. We would be going to NYU right now if we could afford it. What happened?"_

_"I don't feel ready to leave my sisters and family," Prue lied."I don't want to leave home right now.I have too much going on."_

_"But what about studying art. They have the best program in the state. What are you going to do at SFSU that you can't do at CSUSB?Come on, there's gotta be something your not telling me. It can't be home, because your family is great."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"What about us?" Brody stared at Prue while waiting for his answer. When she pulled her head down to her chest he knew that was it. That was her answer. She wasn't choosing him. _

_He got up and began to walk away when he heard Prue calling after him. Brody just kept walking. _

* * *

The door bell rang again as Mel reached out her arm to open the door. The girls were back at Gray's place and once again she was alone. When she opened the door she saw her cousin and best friend standing there with a three month old girl in her arms. Prue's eldest daughter had recently given birth to her first born, who she had named Pearl. 

"Oh, my God. Give me that precious little girl right now," Melinda demanded and plucked the baby out of Prue's arms. "Oh, wow. It feels so nice to have a baby in my arms again. Uh, how's my little sugarplum," she asked the baby in a small and bubbly voice.

"Oh, she's just perfect, aren't you little one?" Prue kissed the baby's head and then her cousin's cheek. "How's the empty nest?"

"Not so empty. At least, it wasn't two hours ago. The girls spent the night with me and Pilar brought them back late this morning."

"That wasn't the plan though, was it? I thought they weren't coming until next weekend so we would have time to get their rooms together."

"Yeah, but apparently they got into it with Gray and stormed out, after Pilar blew the place to pieces I mean."

"Wow, I do not miss having teenagers in my house anymore. There's less family drama now that they're all focused on school and their men." Prue dropped her purse on the foyer table and walked towards the kitchen. "I smell, lemon. Oh, my God. It's lemon meringue pie. Yummy." She slid onto a stool and sat at the island as she began to cut herself a very generous portion of the pie.

"How's Pier," Mel asked as she jiggled the sweet little girl in her arms.

"Oh, that girl is a rock. She had Pearl like one,two, three without any fuss. I don't remember it ever being that easy for me when I gave birth. You know, she already wants to get back to work."

"Really? I don't think I could spend a moment away from this darling."

"Yeah, well she wants to set up a home office for her business so that she won't have to go back to the gallery so soon. In fact, she's thinking about putting a nursery in the office at work anyway. That way she can just bring the baby to the shop once she's old enough."

"What of Porter and Priti? How are they doing?"

"Porter is off the wall with all the planning for the wedding. She's so excited and she's already begun to move into Kiernan's place even though her lease isn't over for two more months. And of course now that Priti is back in school I haven't heard a word from her, which means everything is great. I won't hear from her unless she needs money."

"I can't tell you how nice it is knowing that our girls' are together. I know college is this great experience and everyone needs to go away and make it on their own but it just feels right knowing that Priti and Pilar are room mates. Who'd a thunk it, our little girls are best friends." Melinda bounced Pearl in her arms and cooed at her.

"I know, especially considering all the things that kept getting in the way of us and our men. I didn't think I'd have the fairytale ending back when we were eighteen,"Prue said and dug her fork into the pie. "Speaking of which, how's the situation with Gray? You two still arguing over the girls?"

"No, that's all taken care of. I don't understand why it took us so long to just let everything go and figure things out. If things had been that simple when we were still together we might still be married."

"Well, you guys needed to take a step back from each other and figure things out without the constant bickering."

"Excuse me,"Mel began,"I _do not_ bicker, thank you very much."

"Of course you don't. You just nitpick people to death. Really, the nerve of the man for trying to earn more money in order to be able to afford your daughter's tuition money, uh," she said sarcastically at her cousin while casting a sideway glance at her.

"He didn't just want to make more money, Prue. He wanted to uproot out entire family so that he could pursue his interests rather than even listening to what we might have wanted instead."

"Right, 'cause that's not what happened instead. Only now, there's no family. Your girls must be so happy,"Prue snapped.

"What are you getting at,Prue? I don't know why you're being like this, you know there was more to our break up than just not wanting to move our entire lives for his stupid job. I thought you understood,"Mel said softly. "He wanted me to just get up and leave with him. What would have happened to the manor, P3 or mom's restaurant without me? Chris and Wyatt are into their own careers and doing what they love, what dad loved. But I love to cook and I love the club. When we were eighteen and I was just average and you were exceptional I didn't think I'd ever find anything I loved. Sure I fell into mom's business as a mean to make money but that doesn't mean I didn't end up loving what I did. Do you know how long it took me to find something that was all mine and then to realize it was right in front of my face the whole time?"

"I'm an empath, sweetie. Of course I knew how you felt. I was just waiting for you to figure it out for yourself." Prue walked over and gave her a hug. "Sometimes you just need a little push, and as your best friend it is my job to make sure that even though you need a little shove, you don't go over the cliff." She withdrew from the hug and looked at her granddaughter. "Pearl, reminds me so much of Pier. It's times like these, when I look into her face that I realize that I don't regret anything I did, even though I will always regret the hurt I caused my family. In the end I had a man I loved and a great family."

"I miss him so much,Prue." Mel sunk into the seat and put her head in her hands. "What do I do?"

"What do you want to do," Prue asked.

_"What do you want to do," Paige asked._

_"I don't know what I want. I love Brody,"Prue said."But I can't abandon my family because I want to be with him," she said and sniffled. Her nose was running and tears spilled down her red blotchy face. _

_"What do **you** need," Melinda asked. Just then the girls heard a knock on the front door. Mel moved to get up from the floor where they all sat and looked out the window. "It's Brody."_

_Prue wiped her tears away with the back of her hand."I'll be right back," she said and made her way out of the attic. She went down stairs and opened the door to see him looking down at his feet. "How did you know I would be here?"_

_"You weren't at your house, so I figured you were here with Mel. Can we talk?"_

_"Sure, do you want to come in?"_

_"Only for a minute,"Brody said. They moved closer into the foyer. "I love you,Prue. You know that. But,I don't honestly know how you feel about me. Don't interrupt me," he said when she began to protest his last statement. "I know you love me, but do you trust me. 'Cause I know you're hiding something from me. You always have and that hurt because we've always been best friends. But I accepted that maybe it was something you weren't comfortable talking about. But now, all our plans are falling apart and you won't tell me why. I don't think I can keep doing this, with you. I'm sorry. But I'm going to San Bernardino, and I don't think that long distance is an option. Goodbye." _


	7. Go

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed or any of it's character's such as Prue,Piper,Phoebe and Paige.

**Author's Note:** The chapters are somewhat cryptic because this story is going to be very dramatic. The way I'm writing the story, Melinda's emotions and the presence of family members will set off memories of events that occurred during her generation, after the final battle occurred. Anything that is _italicized_ is a memory of the past and anything that is both **_italicized and bold_** is a recollection someone had that's a part of the memory. **Bold **is either a premonition or a vision of the past.

**Blessed Be**

**Chapter Seven**

"I have to go," Melinda said. She walked to the front door and grabbed her jacket and purse, then turned to face Prue. "I'm sorry for leaving this way, but I really need to..."

"It's okay, Mel. Just go." Prue bounced Pearl up and down on her hip as she looked at her best friend. "I always hoped that I could repay the favor someday. I'm just glad you came to your senses. I would have hated it if you didn't get your happy ending either," she said and kissed Mel's cheek. "Now go."

_"Go."_

_"Are you sure, Mel? I don't think this is a good idea..." Prue was saying as her aunt cut her off._

_"And sacrificing your life is a better idea,"Paige asked sarcastically. "Don't get me wrong, I love my sister but her thinking is totally skewed right now. I really don't think she knows what she's doing to you, and when she finally sees the pain she is causing you she'll be ashamed of herself."_

_"Yea, I mean c'mon. Aunt Phoebe was always the je ne sais quoi character. Why shouldn't you have the opportunity she had, to be able to live life the way you choose for yourself." Mel said._

_"I think what your cousin is boggling is that Phoebe was wild in her younger days, and no one could blame you if you decided to take control of your own life just like your mom did when she was younger and butting heads with Grams." Paige said looking at her nieces. "You are making the decision that is right for you. Your sisters are young, and no matter what your mom says, it isn't your job to protect them. It's Phoebe's and Coop's responsibility along with the rest of out family. How are you going to feel twenty years from now if you don't go?"_

_Prue looked down at her feet as a tear began to glisten in her eye. "Like I made the biggest mistake of my life. I can't let things end with Brody."_

_"Then you know what you gotta do," Mel said._

_"Yeah, I do. I need you two to promise me..."_

Melinda jogged from her car up the steps to her old house and rang the doorbell. Gray's car was in the driveway so she knew he was home. Phaedra opened the door.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to your father about something. Can I come in?" She stepped in once her daughter stopped blocking the door way.

"Daddy's in the office."

"Thanks. Where are your sisters?"

Phaedra looked towards the kitchen. "Pilar and Priya are making lasagna. I was just gonna go make the dessert. Are you gonna stay for dinner?"

"Maybe, I don't know. I'll see what I'm doing after I talk to your dad, ok?" Melinda walked towards Gray's office as Phaedra went to the kitchen to tell her sisters that her mom was here.

"What does she want," Pilar asked. She had just finished making the homemade pasta for the lasagna and Priya had finished making her famous tomato sauce.

Priya began to brown the ground beef when she turned towards the sink and knocked into Phaedra. She immediately tensed up as she was pulled into a premonition.

**Gray walked up to Mel, who was standing on the other side of his desk and pulled her into a very passionate kiss.**

"Oh, my god. Mom and dad are totally making out," she said and looked at her sisters. The girls moved to lower the heat on the stove burners and ran up the stairs to their dad's office where the stood eavesdropping on their parent's conversation.

* * *

Ok so please tell me if this totally sucked . 


	8. Posilutely and Absotively

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Charmed or any of it's character's such as Prue,Piper,Phoebe and Paige.

**Author's Note:** I'm ending this story because I left it incomplete for over a month, and I just really wanted to resolve the story. I am planning this as a series, so that I can explore all of the family members and what's been going on in the past fifty years. I guess the year for this story is roughly 2057. Just so you know, the job opportunity that Gray had received that led to the separation was in New York for one of Chris's friendly competitors. I didn't want to focus so much on the details of the divorce and realize that it might bug some readers that I only hinted at a reason. I do plan to write many other stories and to finish up the background story with Prue. 

**Blessed Be  
**

**Previously**

"Oh, my god Mom and dad are totally making out," she said and looked at her sisters. The girls moved to lower the heat on the stove burners and ran up the stairs to their dad's office where they stood eavesdropping on their parents' conversation.

**Chapter Eight**

"Melinda, what are you doing here," Gray asked as he stared up at his wife, who was gently closing the door behind her. Little did they know that at that very moment their middle child was enjoying a front row viewing of the situation.

Melinda moved further into the office, where Gray sat at his desk. He was working on a new project that he and Chris had landed. It would be a completely customized job for one of the biggest starlets in Hollywood. "I, I..." Melinda began, but was shaken at the battle going on between her heart and her mind. Seeing a look of confusion on Gray's face, she knew that she would never be able to love anyone else the way she loved this man. "I love you." 

That was all it took. In seconds Gray had stood up and rounded the corner of his desk to take hold of Melinda's arms and crash his lips against hers. It wasn't just any kiss either, it was a soul wrenching, earth moving kiss that stole Mel's breath away just as Gray's kiss had the very first time they had made love. Better, even. When they broke apart, Gray still held her close. That was probably a good idea, as Mel's knees were weak and her eyes still closed as she recovered. After six seconds her eyes fluttered open and was instantly aware that Gray was pleased with himself. Just then, she heard flustered whispers from behind the door. Very slowly she made her way to the door knob and motioning to Gray to be quiet, she pulled the door open and found her three girls tumbling over the threshold. 

"Uh oh," Phaedra said. She looked to her big sisters, who were looking at each other and then back at her parents. "Are we in trouble?"

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Gray asked his wife, who was lying next to him in bed. Her hand was placed on his heart, loving the feeling of it beat.

"I'm going to move in again and let Chris deal with the manor. I love it and it is my home, but I belong here with you and the girls. I'm sure we can find someone to pass the manor onto."

"Are you sure?"

"Posilutely and absotively. This is _our_ family home. I wouldn't have it any other way."

**_THE END_**


End file.
